


it's cold outside (without you)

by klari19



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Childhood Memories, Cuddling & Snuggling, Getting Together, Holidays, Kuroo gets literally decked in this fic, M/M, Rated T for language, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-24 11:06:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13212456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klari19/pseuds/klari19
Summary: “Now that I think about it, we should build a snowman.”Their dorm room is warm and nice and good, why would Kuroo even want to go out where it’s freezing? Kenma should know it by know; Kuroo absolutely, undeniably, trulyloveswinter. Much to Kenma’s dismay.





	it's cold outside (without you)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thegoldhopeful](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegoldhopeful/gifts).



> Hope-y..! We meet again! You wrote [something AMAZING for me for the HQ!! RarePair Exchange](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10282937) earlier this year, so when I got you as my match for the Secret Santa I was extremely happy to know I would be able to give you something back <3  
> I really, really wanted to give you some high fantasy KuroDai, but after 4 or 5 failed attempts I decided to go for something I felt more capable of writing--some good ol' soft KuroKen. Thank you for your patience; I hope this brings you some warm feelings now that it's so cold and that the year is about to end!  
> Also! Hey hey hey, a huge shout out to my dear friend and beta, [Allie](https://haikyuumon.tumblr.com/)!!  
> PS: Loosely based on this [prompt](http://otpprompts.tumblr.com/post/154542468731/person-a-wakes-to-find-that-it-had-snowed).

“Kenma, look!”

Kuroo’s excitement is clear in his voice, and, truth is, in this moment it could compel anyone to go along with him… save for Kenma. Kuroo speaks, and Kenma proceeds to groan loudly and bury himself deeper into his blanket.

“No,” he says simply, knowing full well that Kuroo will not take that for an answer.

Silence follows, and for a sacred moment Kenma truly believes he’ll be able to go back to doing his favorite activity since he started college, and one he has been honing ever since the winter holiday began: doing absolutely nothing. But then there’s a stifled laugh and a heavy weight falling on top of him, and Kenma knows that his plans for the evening are ruined.

“Kuro--fuckin’-- _ugh_ , get off!” he wheezes, struggling to pull the blanket off his face at the same time as he tries to kick Kuroo off of his bunk bed. Kuroo just laughs, and after a few failed attempts Kenma can’t help but follow him with a smile. “I hate you,” he says without heat.

After what feels like an endless struggle, Kuroo finally slides halfway off Kenma’s frame and lies on top of his chest, chin resting on his hands. “Aww come oooooon,” he says. “It’s snowing!”

Kenma just closes his eyes. “That’s one very good reason for me to not get up,” he sighs.

“I beg to differ,” Kuroo says. When Kenma looks down at him, Kuroo is staring back with an eyebrow raised. “I think, if you do it’ll help you liven up.”

“How. When has snow meant _anything_ good?” Kenma whines, closing his eyes once more and putting a tired arm over his face.

Kuroo gasps as if outraged. “Um, excuse me? Have you ever heard of sledging? Ice skating? Snowboarding? Even just playing outside and building a snowman?”

Kenma can’t help but smile at that. Their snow and winter bicker has been a constant ever since their childhood days, and even though thanks to Kuroo’s influence Kenma has tried every single one of those and even more, it still doesn’t mean he will voluntarily get up and watch pieces of frozen water fall from the sky behind the window…

“Now that I think about it, we should build a snowman.”

...much less go out into the bone-cracking cold.

Their dorm room is warm and nice and good, why would Kuroo even want to go out where it’s freezing? Kenma should know it by know; Kuroo absolutely, undeniably, truly _loves_ winter. Much to Kenma’s dismay.

“Noooooo,” Kenma whines, pulling his pillow from under his head and pressing it over his face. Maybe that will effectively block out Kuroo and the world for him. Maybe.

The weight lifts from Kenma’s chest and then he hears the sound of footsteps walking away from his bed. He thinks he’s won, finally, until something grabs his foot and squeezes.

“ _Kuro_ ,” Kenma growls in a warning tone, his voice muffled by the pillow. The only response he gets from his friend is a machiavellian giggle before he’s being forcefully pulled out of his bed.

He does, however, manage to throw the pillow at Kuroo’s face before he hits the carpet.

\------

Being outside in general should be discouraged.

Being outside in _winter_ should be downright criminalized.

That's what Kenma thinks as he watches Kuroo build the base of their snowman. He watches silently while sitting on the one and only place where there isn’t snow at the entrance of the dorm building, with his face hidden by his scarf and his gloved hands shoved deep inside his pockets, hood pulled down to his eyes.

“C’mon Kenma, help me out here. We’ll be done with it faster like that,” Kuroo says cheerily. He grins as he speaks, and Kenma rolls his eyes just so he doesn't have to admit that he's right.

So he gets to work alongside Kuroo--thankful that he kept the waterproof mittens his mother sent him, even though they’re so ugly. They finish the base quickly and proceed to build the torso. (Kenma briefly wonders if it would be possible to give a snowman the dorito ratio. He decides not to try, or else he feels he might regret it. Especially in Kuroo’s presence.)

Kuroo _was_ right though, Kenma thinks then. Time does pass by faster when doing something, especially with a friend--his best friend. And although winter activities might be at the bottom of the things Kenma might try sometime (anytime), being in Kuroo's company and doing one of _his_ favorite things feels quite nice. Kenma has been watching him from the corner of his eye, and the expression on his face at the sight of the coming-to-be snowman is, for lack of a better word, beautiful.

“You're smiling,” Kuroo says after a while, pulling Kenma out of his thoughts.

Feeling his cheeks flush, Kenma mumbles, “My mouth is hidden by the scarf.”

“But I can see it in your eyes,” he replies simply.

Kenma slowly turns to look at Kuroo and finds him staring back at him, smiling. With how well they know each other, doubting Kuroo feels a little like doubting himself--something that shouldn't happen but that ultimately does. And, oh, Kenma doubts himself so much.

But... Kuroo is true. Kuroo never lies. Kuroo is honest. And that, that's what makes Kenma believe in everything, sometimes even in himself. And yet--

“So what if I am,” Kenma says without inflection, averting his gaze and continuing to build the snowman. He always wants to counter him, after all, because that's how their friendship is: Friendly bite after bite.

“It means you're happy. And it makes _me_ happy,” Kuroo responds, before getting back to work as well.

… Though sometimes Kuroo surprises him.

And it's not the first time he has said something like this, but Kenma still feels it deep in his core. Even if Kuroo is a friendly and outgoing kind of person, when he says his hermit friend makes him happy it feels like… it's a special kind of happy. It makes Kenma’s heart swell a little, and even though he tries to suppress it he ends up smiling wide behind his scarf.

Once the body and head of their ice friend are done, they split to go look for the last things they need--Kenma for branches for the arms, and Kuroo for rocks for the eyes, nose, and mouth. As Kenma looks for dead branches by the bushes covered in snow, he sees Kuroo squatting on the ground a few feet away, completely focused on his task of making the ground resurface from underneath all the fluffy white. It's as if the rest of the world doesn't exist for him in that moment, nothing can bother him. Except… Maybe...

Kenma’s hands move on instinct, packing snow and making a nice ball which ends up splattered all over Kuroo’s profile, even his hair.

Time seems to stop for a moment. A moment during which neither Kenma nor Kuroo move. Everything freezes. (Oh, how ironic.)

Then, “Kenma.” Low and calm--or just seemingly so.

Kenma fights to keep the smile off his face, twisting his mouth every way he can and pursing his lips. “Yes?” he asks.

“Do you realize what you've just done?”

Kuroo stands slowly, then faces Kenma with pieces of snow still stuck to the side of his face. Kenma wishes he could take a picture.

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” he replies as innocently as he can.

They stare at each other in silence for a beat--and then Hell breaks loose.

Lightspeed, Kuroo grabs as much as his large hands can carry of snow, throws his load at Kenma, and begins to run towards him. Kenma screeches as Kuroo lets out a laugh akin to a demon’s, and runs opposite from his chaser. He jumps behind a bush and packs snow as quickly as he can, then throws it blindly at Kuroo.

“Let’s see if you can block this!” Kenma shouts, and from the loud squeak that echoes in the small yard after that, Kenma believes he landed a good one. He grins.

From behind the cover of the bush, he surveys his surroundings, looking for Kuroo, and is surprised and confused when he doesn't find him. Furrowing his brows, Kenma stands from his hiding spot and scans the landscape. Nothing.

“Kuro?” he asks warily. No response.

 _Oh my god. He… vanished?!_ Kenma frowns. _He finally became one with the snow. His ultimate dream came true._ He nods at that completely rational thought, still feeling concern creeping into the back of his skull.

The snowman is in the center of the yard, alone and miserable all by himself but strategically placed where one can get a good view of the place all around, so Kenma goes to it with small steps and still keeping an eye out for Kuroo.

“I'm sorry I hit you, Kuro. Will you forgive me if I make you some hot chocolate?” Kenma says as he walks around the snowman, eyeing every corner of the small front yard.

There’s a yell from right behind himself, and Kenma’s soul instantly leaves his body. The side of his brain that’s still working kicks into survival mode and makes Kenma spin around and throw a heavy punch.

“Kenm--OW FUCK--"

Kenma staggers on his feet while a weight pulls him down, and the world goes upside down in a whirlwind of black and white. He ends up breathless, splayed over something that’s making noises like those of a suffering cow.

When Kenma’s eyes focus, he realizes that ‘ _something_ ’ he has landed on is actually Kuroo. And that Kuroo’s face is close to his own.

Very close, in fact.

“Um.” Is everything Kenma can say, and Kuroo can't do any better where he lies wheezing.

Kenma stares down at his friend, noticing maybe for the first time how smooth is his skin, how bright are his eyes, how full are his lips. Kenma has never kissed anyone, but he imagines kissing Kuroo must feel nice.

_… Wait a second._

“My ass is freezing,” Kuroo says then with a weak smile.

Kenma blinks, and suddenly the reality of the situation dawns on him. He scrambles to get up, accidentally kneeing Kuroo in the ribs and throwing snow on his face in the process.

“Sorry,” he mumbles, offering Kuroo a gloved hand to pull him up. He averts his gaze and turns his face away the whole time, hoping that will be enough to hide the blush that’s spread all over his face.

“Nah, don't worry about it. Sorry I scared you,” Kuroo says, wiping the snow off his pants and patting his chest where Kenma hit him, and Kenma shakes his head. “Though, will you still make me that hot chocolate you mentioned?”

Despite himself, Kenma smiles. “Yeah,” he says.

\------

 _It smells like… holidays…_ The thought comes and goes like a gentle breeze as he walks from the microwave to the couch, the sweet and comforting aroma of the drink twisting and twirling around him as he moves.

Kenma gives Kuroo a steaming cup of hot chocolate and sits down next to him on their small dorm couch, almost squashing himself against him. He would blame their physical closeness on the miniature size of the furniture, but truth is Kuroo is a human furnace and Kenma likes snuggling with him every once in a while. Especially in winter. And Kuroo’s arm is already sitting atop his shoulders, so what can he do? Absolutely nothing, aside from basking in the pleasure of finally being inside.

Kuroo sighs pleasantly after taking the first sip. “So good, like always,” he says.

“Glad you enjoy it.”

Kuroo hums in reply, a soft and satisfied noise, and slightly tightens his hold around Kenma’s shoulders as his head comes to rest against his. They lean against each other, comfortably and in silence.

It feels nice.

Kenma rarely feels so at peace, and the only person that makes him feel like this is Kuroo. When Kenma thinks about it, they've been friends for, what? Fifteen, sixteen years? Just about ever since they were able to begin creating memories. And now they’re in their twenties.

How amazing… Some of Kenma’s first memories involve Kuroo, and it’s probably the same for his friend.

“Hey, Kuro.”

“Mm?”

“Do you remember the first time we met?”

“Of course I do,” Kuroo says with a soft chuckle. “What's this about?”

Kenma stares in front of him for a moment, trying to find an answer. “I dunno. I just wanted you to retell it. You know how holidays are a time to remember and all that jazz.”

“Fair enough,” Kuroo laughs softly. “Well, as you might remember, I was the coolest kid in the neighborhood and you wanted to be my friend.”

Kenma rolls his eyes and smiles. That's typical Kuroo for him.

“The real version.”

Kuroo laughs again, and this time it shakes Kenma next to him. “Alright, alright. We were in kindergarten and we were on break. For some reason, you weren't sleeping, but that was great because you threw a book to the kid that was trying to steal my color pencils. I remember you taking them from the kid and giving them back to me, while the other was crying and the teachers were losing their minds.”

Kenma’s smile widens as the story progresses, and he hides it into Kuroo’s shoulder.

“I think, you almost went to sleep right after, but I kept you with me because you had done such a cool thing.”

“It wasn't cool, it was fearsome,” Kenma murmurs.

“Oh yes, absolutely,” Kuroo says with a snicker, and Kenma punches him lightly. Then, he continues: “I invited you to color with me and we did that for a bit even though you probably wanted to sleep, and then break ended and we had to go to our respective classes. But when it was time to go home, I took you with me to see my mom, and that's how she talked to yours and we got to start meeting after school every day.”

Kenma hums, nodding his head. “And it's been true until now. I think, the first time we couldn't meet every day was when you started college and came to live here before me,” he says, mostly to himself.

“Yeah… Aww, did you miss me?”

Kenma hits him again, a little harder this time. “Of course I did, you animal. Haven't I told you? You're the person I care about the most…” His tone softens on the last sentence, and he presses himself more against Kuroo’s side.

Kuroo laughs once again, gentler. “I kinda figured. And I think… you should know that you mean the world to me.”

Kenma’s heart swells impossibly at that, and the surprise from Kuroo’s words moves him to pull his head away from Kuroo’s and turn to look at him. Kuroo stares back, his eyes soft and his expression gentle.

 _What is there to be surprised about, though? Hasn’t it always been like this?_ Kenma asks himself.

And, thinking back on it, it has.

So he doesn't say anything, just closes his eyes and leans in, pressing his lips to Kuroo’s. It feels so natural, as if they've kissed a hundred or a thousand times already.

When Kenma pulls back, Kuroo is smiling, eyes heavy-lidded and movements slow as his hand comes up to tuck Kenma’s hair behind his ear.

“It was about time,” Kuroo murmurs, gentleness threaded in his voice.

Kenma smiles softly at him. “Sorry I kept you waiting…”

“It’s fine. We have a lot of time ahead of us. But my chocolate is cold now.” He pouts.

“Can you--forget about the chocolate so we can keep kissing?” He fists his hands in Kuroo’s shirt and tugs gently. “Please,” he adds.

Kuroo smiles, and Kenma can't believe he gets to kiss those beautiful lips.

“Of course. For as long as you want.”


End file.
